The Parish origins are, by church standards very recent and stem from the need, by the City of York Council to build “Homes fit for Heroes” following the first world war, (1914 -1918).
Land was acquired for this purpose in the Tang Hall area outside the city walls between the suburbs of Hull Road and Heworth Village.
This new area of housing greatly extended the local parish of St. Georges. Who in those days had a team of three priests, Canon Patrick Lynn, assisted by William Clifford and Alban Nolan.
Canon Lynn perceived that it was imperative that a venue was required as soon as possible to accommodate the needs of his extended parishioners. To this end and with the assistance of one of his parishioners, Alderman Thomas Morris, a site was found on the corner of Merosegate and Fifth Avenue for a Catholic Parish Centre.
From then on a patron saint was to preside over all kinds of progress. It was a saint whose name means:- Noble Counsel, a fairly common old English name with the sound:- Aethelred, transformed to Ailred , and finally AELRED
In 1928 the laity revealed itself to be active and efficient, (and do so to this present day as the recent Community Centre bears witness!). Five parishioners, Jim Melody Jack Foley, Lawrence Tracy, John Cox, Herbert Shearsmith, formed a committee and initiated a type of Christian responsibility campaign with the intent of forming a congregation of Catholics scattered over the Tang Hall estate and so have a unity and community of its own.. The committee grew in number and organised a door to door collection and received what people could afford in anticipation of the building of a new parish centre.
In 1928 Canon Lynn transferred to St. Peter’s Scarborough and was replaced by Canon Matthew O’Connell. In September a local community centre the “Flaxman Hut” was used every Sunday to celebrate Mass at 9a.m.
At he same time the need for a Catholic school was realised and it was combined with the parish centre which had been in the autumn of 1928. The first Headmistress was a Miss Quirk who saw the school roll rapidly expand to 132 pupils.
A brand new school was built for the ever increasing numbers and opened in 1931.
A presbytery was built and in 1932 Father Maurice O’Regan became the first resident priest of Tang Hall. In 1934 Canon Dennis Luddy took over as Father O’Regan left to a parish in Driffield.
Canon Luddy was not to stay long and was replaced by Father Patrick McAniff in March 1938 and who was to stay for 33 years becoming Canon McAniff when he retired to Malton in 1970. During his tenure he envisaged and was instrumental in the building of a new church the present St.Aelred’s. which was consecrated by Bishop George Brunner on March 12th 1956
